Full disclosure
the Boss loved the house
but not the location.
And she questioned my ability to mow.
no, I don’t have a bad back or any other health issue.
she has referred to my model railroad as “the other woman”
soooo...I guess I’m not surprised.
I get tired just thinking about the work involved. Good luck with it.
Hey Alex. Sorry to see the end of an era but it happens. I wish you luck with your move and new home. When I demolished my old layout back in 2016 (Run 313), I had my two sons and me cut it all up and throw it in the dumpster. It was approximately 12'x30'.
I will offer some information I learned along the way. I used ROSS switches and curves along with Gargraves track. All of these had wooden ties. My ballast was ground rubber that was glued with Elmers white glue on top of cork. I tried to soak it with water, I tried rubbing alcohol.....nothing would soften the ballast enough around the wood ties to reuse any of the track or switches. The white glue literally glued the bottom of all the wood ties to the cork and plywood top. I tried using scrapers, razor blades, etc. I could not free up anything and in the end it all went into the dumpster. Maybe you will have better luck than me.
As far as selling your inventory, I was able to salvage a lot of stuff off the layout like signals, buildings, people and detail parts. All of these cleaned up nicely and found a home on my new layout featured this month in the magazine. A lot of the buildings I did not use I sold them fairly inexpensive here on the forum in bulk amounts.
Recently, I have been trying to sell off a lot of excess inventory (engines and freight cars) to eventually downsize myself in the future. That is another eye opening experience. Your comment about asking 50% of MSRP is a little optimistic in my opinion. Maybe start with 50% of what you feel the value is today. Case in point. I had a few dozen Premier MTH freight cars from the last 20 years that I never used. All new in the box. I was selling them packaged 5 or 6 together. MSRP was anywhere from $45 to $65 per car. I averaged a net value to me of $20 a car. Ouch. But that is the current market situation if you want to sell. It is a buyers market out there for most stuff. I will admit that anything that is considered highly collectible or rare will bring a better value. I had a number of brass cabooses that I sold for what I paid for them years ago. I did not see any profit but for those, I got what I paid for them. Used Engines are a big risk to sell in my opinion as I have gotten burned twice in the last 6 months by being accused of selling product that does not work. That is a hassle.
I am not sure if you tried to sell anything recently but SHIPPING is now a BIG factor. The cost to ship has gone thru the roof. Another example. (1) freight car will fit in a USPS Priority "shoebox" nicely. I like Priority for the insurance and tracking number. I live in southeast PA. If that freight car goes to the west coast, it costs close to $23 to ship. Chicago or Florida is around $18 to ship. Texas is $20. No buyer wants to believe those prices so either you take a loss on shipping or try to show the actual cost. I would complain too if a $20 new freight car cost me $23 in shipping. Even the large retailers I buy my trains from have raised their shipping costs, most of them by almost 50% from just a few years ago.
Maybe your best bet for selling is to contact one of the large auction houses. Depending on your collection, they will come and box everything up and then cart it away. I personally used TrainZ back in 2004 to sell a large collection I had. It was over 1500 pounds of trains. We agreed on a sell price, they took the trains and I got a check. Just like that. For me, the experience was positive, others may feel different.
Sorry for the long post but wanted you to read my experiences and hopefully help you decide on a path forward.
Donald
Beautiful layout and trains.
I have sold about 150 cars and a few dozen engines on Ebay, mostly RK, Kline, MPC, & WBB. Here are my 2 cents...
I would list maybe 25 items at a time to keep it managable.
Ebay charges 10% of the purchase price + shipping.
Engines seem to get better money with an auction.
Rolling stock does better as buy it now to get the best price, and you may have to wait 3-6 months for the right person who is looking for that car / roadname. Make sure "Accept Offers" is not selected unless you like being low-balled constantly.
During normal times, items tend to sell faster at better prices Oct - March. Summer seems to be more of a buyer's market.
Selling has taught me a new patience, and makes me think twice before making a purchase.
....and buy your own train car sized shipping boxes in bulk for less than $1 each, USPS charges a fortune (like $3) for the white priority mail ones based on the same weight. 18"*6"*8" and 16"*6"*4" work well for most rolling stock.
Hi Alex,
The more I read the posts wishing you well and offering suggestions, the more I think a charity could be the answer. You truly have a museum quality diorama/layout that any children’s hospital, museum of industry, natural science, etc. would be lucky to acquire. In St Louis area alone: Magic House, City Museum, Museum of Transport, Children’s Hospital (any of the Ronald McDonald Houses).
Not that your financial situation is anybody’s business, but... we are getting close to the age where we will have to start withdrawing IRA funds, and pay taxes on them, as well as any other income. Donating it to a charity could give you a tax advantage far exceeding the return from selling off part and parcel of HPJRR. Challenges of dismantling, moving and rebuilding could be worked out. Most important, the layout would stand for more people to view and excite over it like we all have.
Again, good luck to you and Judy. You have been a friend and mentor to us all.
Ted
Again, Thank You so much for your kind comments. Somehow, they ease the pain of having to bring my layout to an end.
UPDATE
It has been two weeks since I started dismantling my layout. I have completed packaging over 300 original boxes with engines, cars, and buildings, and these are in a self-storage unit five minutes from home. (*) This weekend I started removing the track and dismantling the bench or table. These will be added to the items in storage.
So far it has been a very time-consuming task, but the end results are worth the effort. I am extremely glad I saved all the boxes with all the inserts, etc., as this made packaging the items much easier. The value of the items will be greater than with no original box and packaging.
After careful cleaning, the track and turnouts are as good as new with very few exceptions. But I do have a Word to the Wise: If you plan to ever take a large layout apart, or care for those who will do this task for you, Do Not Ballast the Track.
One remaining task for later on (after we have moved) will be to take the time to match the hundreds of Scenic Accents (Woodland Scenics) little people with their original clear plastic containers, which I also saved. Fortunately, the containers have a picture of the little people they shelter.
HELP!
The one item that remains unresolved (after Alan picks up his beautiful grain elevator, that is), is What to Do With The Wooden Trestle Bridge?
I believe I can cut it loose from its ground base, and cut it into two or three sections, which would make it easy to transport, and could be put back together by a skilled model railroader. But who would want it?
How much would I charge for the bridge? NOTHING! If you want it, all you have to do is pick it up.
Thank you for reading this, and for your suggestions.
Alex
(*) After evaluating the number of items I would have to sell, all of which are in excellent shape and running condition, Judy and I decided it would not be possible for us to sell them ourselves, a few items are a time in the foreseeable future. Therefore, as several of you suggested, including as close friends have advised, I will use Stout Auctions to sell my stuff.
Some pictures from last night:
Remember?
Always sad to see a beautiful layout dismantled. But these things happen. Thanks
@Ingeniero No1 posted:
The one item that remains unresolved (after Alan picks up his beautiful grain elevator, that is), is What to Do With The Wooden Trestle Bridge?
I believe I can cut it loose from its ground base, and cut it into two or three sections, which would make it easy to transport, and could be put back together by a skilled model railroader. But who would want it?
How much would I charge for the bridge? NOTHING! If you want it, all you have to do is pick it up.
Thank you for reading this, and for your suggestions.
What city and state are you in?
Dang, if you were close I'd be there!
(with pick-up)
Very sad to see it come down though. 
Alex - Once again thanks for the memories. The pictures at the end of your post are memorable railroad art. Best wishes in your future move and also selling your great collection.
All the best.
"What city and state are you in?
Dang, if you were close I'd be there! (with pick-up)"
I am about 50 miles west of St Louis, in Warren County, Missouri. It's easy to get here, if you are not too far away, that is.
Alex
Sad to see the layout go but looks like you are going into it with a good plan and making great progress! If Indiana was closer i'd be right over for that bridge haha. If that brewery needs a new home i'll volunteer 
You built one of the finest o gauge model railroads on the planet. Thanks for sharing the process when building it and now your steps moving out. Your pragmatism is a good lesson for keeping these things in perspective, even though I’m sure it is still painful. Best of luck with the move and wishing many happy years to you and yours in the new place.
The trestle is beautiful. Can you share dimensions of the trestle section as it sits today and each section as you have proposed cutting? What is the radius of track used on the curved portions?
Thank you!
Glad we were able to see it in person. Thanks Bert and Deb
@Ingeniero No1 posted:"What city and state are you in?
Dang, if you were close I'd be there!
I am about 50 miles west of St Louis, in Warren County, Missouri. It's easy to get here, if you are not too far away, that is.
Alex
Err, umm, I maybe too far? Rats. I have trouble making it to shows up here. 
Layout is just a memory now. Onto the next adventure in the California desert.
Alex, I've always enjoyed your posts and seeing pictures of your layout. It's a shame that for a lot of us downsizing as we get older means curtailing or eliminating things that bought us joy. Will you keep any of your O-gauge or is a small layout out of the question?
I read you’re giving away that awesome bridge
I skipped the comments to say
I would donate it to The Museum of Transportation.
That’s one place you can almost be 100% assured it will exist
And, you could give pictures and maybe they could run your YouTube videos.
Alex,
What a great layout, so sad to see it go. I have used Stout Auctions in the past, and was pleased with their service. Best of luck to you and Judy with your move.
Andy
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